Thursday, 29 October 2015

Ijaw Group Counters Clark, Lists What He Benefited From Former President Jonathan

A group in Delta state, the Ijaw Justice Forum (IJF), on Wednesday, October 28, criticized Chief Edwin Clark, a former federal commissioner for information for saying he benefited nothing from former President, Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.The group, in a statement jointly signed by its president and secretary, Karona Etonye and Ekenwan Akwagbe respectively, said it was wicked and mischievous for Clark to say that he did not get anything from the Jonathan-led administration, Vanguard reports.

The IJF said: “This is the peak of ingratitude from a man, who called himself the ‘father’ of the former president. He attracted patronage from the high and mighty from all parts of Nigeria and received gifts of cash and kind because of their perceived closeness of him to Dr. Jonathan.

“It is wicked and mischievous for Clark to say that he did not get anything from the Jonathan administration, including contracts. Perhaps, Clark made this statement to the Vanguard reporter in his dream, has he forgotten that his company was awarded a contract for the reclamation and shore protection of Amadi-ama community in Rivers State by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs during the Jonathan era?”

In a lengthy letter, Clark poured out his mind, saying he had known Jonathan before he became the president and he didn’t at any time gain anything from being close to the former president.

The IJF said it was quite unfortunate that the elder statesman would still be telling lies at the age of 90.

“How would Clark say that he did not ask for jobs for his children or for his relatives? Has he forgotten the note he wrote to the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe asking him to use his good offices to make his younger brother, Mr. Isa Clark the Coordinator of the Sure- P programme in Delta South Senatorial District?” the group queried.

They listed some of the things Clark benefitted from Jonathan saying, applied for and was granted licence to establish a private university, the E. K. Clark University in his hometown, Kiagbodo and the NDDC awarded contract for the sinking of a bore hole in the university campus.

“There are many more gains that Clark made in the Jonathan era, never before in his political life has he gotten the kind of patronage he had under Jonathan,” they added.

The group noted that Clark was in the habit of benefiting from powerful people and then leaving them when the tables turn.

They cited the case of former Delta state governor, James Ibori, saying Clark was one the elders that benefitted most from Ibori’s administration between 1999 and 2007 but he later sponsored a Delta Elders and Stakeholders’ Forum to petition the EFCC alleging that Ibori committed monumental corrupt practices while in office.

The IJF claimed that the former commissioner played a major role in the failure of Jonathan in the March presidential elections as the insults he rained on leading political figures across Nigeria attracted hatred to Jonathan and negatively affected the outcome of the election results.

Chief Clark was a staunch supporter of Jonathan before he lost the presidential election to Buhari. On Wednesday, October 7, he announced that he had quit the PDP, accusing the Jonathan of lacking the political will to fight corruption.

In reaction, ex-militants under the aegis of the Niger Delta Liberation Force (NDLF) asked him to to shut up, saying he had no moral justification to condemn Jonathan. They expressed disappointment that Clark would backstab the former president just so he could find favour with the President Buhari-led administration.